Senate Republicans revise ban on state AI regulations in bid to preserve controversial provision
Source: Associated Press
Senate Republicans revise ban on state AI regulations in bid to preserve controversial provision
By MATT BROWN
Updated 2:20 PM EDT, June 6, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have made changes to their party’s sweeping tax bill in hopes of preserving a new policy that would prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade.
In legislative text unveiled Thursday night, Senate Republicans proposed denying states federal funding for broadband projects if they regulate AI. That’s a change from a provision in the House-passed version of the tax overhaul that simply banned any current or future AI regulations by the states for 10 years.
“These provisions fulfill the mandate given to President Trump and Congressional Republicans by the voters: to unleash America’s full economic potential and keep her safe from enemies,” Sen. Ted Cruz, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement announcing the changes.
The proposed ban has angered state lawmakers in Democratic and Republican-led states and alarmed some digital safety advocates concerned about how AI will develop as the technology rapidly advances. But leading AI executives, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, have made the case to senators that a “patchwork” of state AI regulations would cripple innovation.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/ai-regulation-state-moratorium-congress-78d24dea621f5c1f8bc947e86667b65d